The world had gone white. The flash of lightning had blinded every student inside Mrs. Fowler’s class room, and they’d woken up to the strange dimension inside the black sphere that covered the school. Rosie and Josie were discovered inside the supply closet—and Josie’s head was caved in by one of the students there that morning.
After Ally had passed out from seeing the dead body, Lilly and Carlos helped carry her to the nurse’s office.
“I’ve got her,” Lilly said. “You go check on the others, okay?”
“Ayuh,” Carlos nodded, “You sure you got her?”
Lilly stared at Carlos.
“Got it,” he nodded. “And I’ll tell Derek you’re looking for him.”
Lilly grinned.
After Carlos left she looked down to Ally who lay unconscious on the cot in the almost-too-white room. It smelt of salve, but she kept down her stomach as she bent over and caressed a hand across Ally’s cheek.
She turned and walked out of the door and took a left down to the cafeteria. She asked Carlos to send Derek to the cafeteria—he almost caught on, but it must have just slipped past him. She didn’t ask him out loud. She was instantly reminded of the party, and how she learned there was someone else out there that was like her.
Ashley Evans of all people.
When she was much younger she learned that she had influence over other people—a very strong influence, too. Her parents were first, but she resolved to only use it if she really needed to. It was endlessly cruel to exert your force over another human being. She needed a reason, and it needed to be a good one. Ashley, however, didn’t seem to need any particular reason. She tore through people’s minds like a mental werewolf.
That day at the party she felt the weight she held onto her—she supposed Derek didn’t feel anything at all. Except how wet Carleigh was, of course.
She was the first one in the cafeteria, but Derek wasn’t far behind her. He opened the double doors and instantly stopped, his hands fell to his side.
“Why did you do it?” Lilly asked. They were the only two around—she was sure that the others were still back in Mrs. Fowler’s room, save for Ally.
“Do…?” Derek asked, his expression didn’t change.
He began to walk across the room. “You remember it.” Lilly said. “I see it. You remember it.”
“I don’t know what you’re—nghh!” He straightened up tight and stood with his arms outstretched.
Lilly looked him up and down.
“Wh-What…”
“You were under her influence when you killed Carleigh, that’s why you don’t remember it, but you remember raping her. That’s because that was you. She may have given you the knife, but you still chose to steal her from me.”
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“I don’t—”
“August 15th, the infamous summer party where you slipped a roofie into Carleigh’s drink when you approached from behind. You were a risky boy carrying that with Aoi chasing you around like that,” Lilly said, walking around to his front. “And to think you almost got away without anyone noticing. I didn’t want to at first, you know.”
“You don’t know anything,” he barked, regaining some of his composure, but none of his mobility. “Not a goddamn thing.”
“You have been wanting to dump Aoi for half a year now, but know that he’d find someone much better than you eventually and you’d go crazy knowing that. But still you couldn’t let it stop you, could it?”
He gritted his teeth. “You…you were the one in the closet. I thought I heard someone…”
“We all have our ways.” Lilly said.
“Well then that’s bullshit! You took her up there and started to fuck her yourself! You have exactly zero moral high ground.”
She shrugged, “Maybe not, but I gotta do what I gotta do, you know? Ashley’s got you under her finger, so I have to smash her fingers.”
Derek began to show fear for the first time. “Wh-what are you?”
Lilly looked confused, “I’m not an alien if that’s what you mean. Or a superhero, or a ghost, or a mutant…I’m just me. And I don’t really like when I can’t get what I want. Ashley’s the same way, you know. She’s only more…hmm…impatient and fuck-it-all whenever the slightest challenge comes up. I try to take it easier, you know, if Carleigh doesn’t want what I want then I stay by her side. I try, and if nothing still happens then, well then I’ll take my turn.”
Derek didn’t say anything.
“Is it unfair? Yeah, I won’t argue with that. But for a split second think how it feels to be me. You haven’t the slightest, and you won’t, either. Sorry, Derek, but Ashley’s fond of you—more than you know, and that means I have to do this.”
“Wh—GHKK!” His back straightened out tighter.
Lilly looked up to the corner of the room where the flag hung on its rod pointed upward. It began to slowly shift out of its handle and the rod was floating toward her, slowly. It took all of her concentration to keep it from falling to the ground.
“No, no please…PLEASE.” Derek began to scream, but was suddenly cut off. Lilly had to squeeze his lungs tight to keep him from screaming—the flagpole dropped a little, but she caught it. If she were found out now everything would be ruined. She heard the air escape his body in one whoosh.
The flagpole now floated behind Derek, and she could see the pleading in his eyes. She wasn’t backing down now—no matter what happened she had to continue or else she’d begin to think, and if she did that it was all over.
She stepped out of the way as she drove the flagpole through his back and pierced his heart. The pole lifted his body up and she slammed it into the wall. His body slid against the wall where the pole pinned him and slouched over, blood began to drip down onto the ground below.
Lilly looked at the mess she’d made, but then shook her head. She took in a deep breath and widened her stance. She was imagining the wall in front of her as it had looked five minutes prior. There was a vibration that started in her core. She’d practiced for this…only got it to work a few times, but now that she was here a fear stalked its way into her heart—it wasn’t going to work.
It did.
The body and blood vanished before her very eyes—still physically there, but to any who would pass they would only see what she makes them see.
As soon as she finished she fell against the wall—into Derek’s blood that wasn’t but was there. She was breathing heavily, a terrible headache rang through her brain like someone was smashing it with a mallet. She never put out anything that big before, and she didn’t know how long she’d be able to hold it.
Hopefully all day.